Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Rethymno

For one person, living is cheaper in Rethymno: $1,345 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Rethymno
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Rethymno Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Rethymno

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,345

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Rethymno

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Rethymno actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,345 in Rethymno.

Austin, TX $2,663
Rethymno $1,345

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,021 in Rethymno.

Austin, TX $4,133
Rethymno $2,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,697 in Rethymno.

Austin, TX $5,603
Rethymno $2,697

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 98% more expensive than in Rethymno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 97% above, Rethymno 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$12.58 €11.19

65.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$55.6 €49.49

52.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$9.88 €8.79

24.70%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.56 €3.17

58.15%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.65 €1.47

125.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.53 €0.47

371.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$4.43 €3.94

81.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$5.42 €4.82

66.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.52 €1.35

-26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.26 €1.12

197.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.17 €1.93

50.23%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$4.55 €4.04

-8.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$14.65 €13.03

-11.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$9.32 €8.29

51.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$15.06 €13.40

7.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.04 €1.81

112.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.02 €1.79

-27.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.22 €1.08

269.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.76 €1.57

146.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.97 €0.86

165.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.95 €0.84

147.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.64 €0.57

178.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.72 €0.64

208.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.36 €3.88

126.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$6.58 €5.85

129.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.77 €1.57

64.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.89 €1.68

83.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.83 €1.63

-18.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$4.40 €3.91

-37.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.09 €0.97

52.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$11.32 €10.07

211.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.25 €2.00

-57.78%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.0K $36.0K

$22.4K €19.9K

61.09%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.4K €21.7K

10.89%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$229 $229

$193 €171

18.91%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$59.4 $59.4

$17.94 €15.96

231.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$30.38 €27.02

130.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$60.2 €53.6

-4.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$8.50 €7.56

68.00%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,506 $1,506

$364 €324

313.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$3,938 €3,503

444.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$89.6 €79.7

-41.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$11.17 €9.94

292.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$44.93 €39.96

88.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$43.80 €38.96

135.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$549 €489

247.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$441 €392

188.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$908 €808

303.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$712 €633

256.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,079 €3,628

86.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$2,948 €2,622

7.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$1,222 €1,087

319.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

4.3

57.91%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rethymno: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Rethymno

$441 32.8% 65.4% $833

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Rethymno

$268 20% 33.7% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Rethymno

$241 17.9% 32.8% $117

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Rethymno

$215 16% 39.3% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Rethymno

$85 6.3% 33.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Rethymno

$77 5.7% 10% $8.6

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Rethymno

$17 * 1.3% 70.8% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $549 in Rethymno. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 319% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $56.0 in Rethymno for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $268 per month, with Rethymno cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇬🇷 Rethymno

🕒 Local time

12:37 12:37 PM

20:37 8:37 PM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

35,763

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Austin, TX Rethymno 10,540 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Rethymno

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Rethymno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rethymno wins on cost – living expenses run 98% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Rethymno the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 319% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $549 in Rethymno. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $364 in Rethymno. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Rethymno – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,345 in Rethymno versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Rethymno but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Rethymno the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Rethymno are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Rethymno gentler on the wallet – expenses run 98% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.